Qatar used secret 'black operations' campaign to sabotage rival bids for 2022 World Cup, claims report
Monday, July 30, 2018 IST
Qatar's World Cup team used a secret "black operations" propaganda campaign to undermine rival bids in violation of FIFA rules, a British Sunday broadsheet has reported.
The Sunday Times claims whistleblower emails show the bid team paid a PR firm as well as former CIA agents to disseminate "fake propaganda" concerning main rivals Australia and the US during their campaign to host the 2022 competition.
Qatar's strategy was to recruit influential individuals in order to attack bids in their native countries, creating the impression there was "zero support" to host the World Cup among the population, the paper said.
One of the core criteria considered by FIFA, world football's governing body, is said to be that the bids should have a strong backing from domestic populations.
Bidders are also prohibited from making "any written or oral statement of any kind, whether adverse or otherwise, about the bids or candidatures of any other member association" under FIFA guidelines.
But one of the leaked emails The Times claims to have obtained was sent to Qatar's deputy bid leader Ali al-Thawadi, and allegedly shows the state was aware of plots to spread "poison" against other bidders in the running before Qatar won the right to host the event in December 2010.
Such actions went as far as planning a resolution for US Congress on the "harmful" effects of the American World Cup proposition during the week of the vote, as well as approaching and paying a US professor $9000 (€7723, £6865) to compose a report on the economic burden the competition would present.
The Sunday Times claimed the documents were leaked to the paper by a whistleblower who worked with the Qatar bid on the World Cup campaign.
Related Topics
Trending News & Articles
Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav (Marathi: श्री. खाशाबा दादासाहेब जाधव, January 15, 1926 – August 14, 1984) was an Indian athlete. He is best known as a wrestler who...
Recently posted . 8K views . 60 min read
During the examination, it was uncovered that the CWG Organizing Committee had paid a messed up sum for planning and buys. The underlying evaluation for putting tog...
Recently posted . 5K views . 2 min read
Asad Rauf, a previous ICC World class Board umpire from Pakistan, kicked the bucket at 66 years old.
Recently posted . 5K views . 0 min read
There's a scene in the movie 'Captain', a freshly-minted Malayalam biopic on former India defender VP Sathyan, which tries to capture the conflict rag...
Recently posted . 3K views . 1 min read
More in Sports
Dhoni’s numbers with the bat has not been good in the recent past and this has prompted plenty of debates and deliberations overs his position in the side.
Recently posted. 783 views . 1 min read
India cricketer Ravindra Jadeja made a statement at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium by hitting six sixes in an over in an inter-district T20 tournament...
Recently posted. 929 views . 3 min read
Virat Kohli has influenced many young cricketers with his batting and Tamim Iqbal is one of them.
Recently posted. 883 views . 0 min read
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 3K views
Recently posted . 3K views
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar said he was termed 'mad' by many for thinking about replacing the legendary Waqar Younis.
Recently posted. 1K views . 0 min read
Recently posted. 682 views . 3 min read